Good afternoon, sun worshipers and those who enjoy having a little food in their sand, and welcome to Ocean City, New Jersey! Today the beans have dropped in on this vacation mecca for a little fun in the sun, plus who knows what else. So waste not, oh ye sunshine - it's time to go to the beach!

Ah - and what a beach it is. Ocean City is home to 10 miles of sandy shoreline, perfect for soaking up the rays, swimming in the ocean, having a sun-drenched picnic, or just people (or canned vegetable) watching. As far as the frijoles go, they like it all, and if they could find a way to people watch while having a picnic underwater, their world would be complete.

Anyway, the beaches here at Ocean City are nice and quiet, perfect for a day of relaxing. That's in part to the following Ocean City city ordinance we found: It is unlawful for any person to make, cause or continue any loud, unnecessary, unnatural or unusual noise, or any noise which annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace and safety of others at any time, day or night. Well, being a canned bean and all, sometimes there are certain sounds that cannot be...helped. But our frijoles were sure to mind their manners and not do anything that would audibly (or otherwise) disturb those around them.

Of course, one cannot go to the beach without being prepared. Sun screen? Check. A $5 day pass beach badge? (A shoreline with a cover charge - who knew?) Double check. A soft (currently) sand free beach towel? It seems that we're all set for a good day.

Oh, and for those of you who made wagers that you'd never, ever see our beloved frijoles wearing a thong? Pay up, pal...

Since it seems to be the thing to do, here the beans join their friends for some sun worship. Does life get much better than this? And I assure you - the only burning going on today is the guy down the beach who is ignoring his hibachi...

Boy, all that laying around on the beach tanning is hard work, isn't it? So to satisfy their sweet tooth, the beans went in search of something cold, and came across Kohr Brother's frozen custard shop. With shops in 10 states along the Eastern shore, Kohr Brothers is known for their twist cones, with one of the most popular being a vanilla/orange twist.

The frijoles really enjoyed their frozen custard, and spent a good hour trying to talk the brothers into a black bean twisted cone. Sadly, the idea didn't go over so hot (or cold, as the case may be), but there's always next summer, I suppose.

And because it's the beans' vacation tradition to always start with dessert first, after polishing off their custard it was time for the main course, a big ol' slice of Mack & Manco pizza. This is one of those traditional pizza pie shops where they make the pizzas right in front of you, tossing the dough high into the air (and then hopefully catching it, since sand is not considered a complimentary topping). Mack & Manco has been baking 'em up here on the beach since 1956, and the frijoles salute them on their 50th anniversary with a round of applause and some extra cheese.

And in case you're wondering, no - the beans did not ask them to make a pepperoni and frijole pie. After the rejection earlier at the custard joint, they just couldn't face being told no again. So instead they stuck with the traditional mushroom and sausage, washed down with a bucket of disappointed tears. Sniff.

Ah, but what cures a broken heart faster than a large box of candy? So that's exactly how the beans snapped back - with a jumbo box of Shriver's finest confections. As they love to say around here, Shriver's has been a "boardwalk tradition since 1898", and are world famous for their saltwater taffy, fudge, and coal candy. All good stuff - and remember, there are no calories on vacation. Take our word on that one.

Anyway, our favorite canned vegetables had a swell time in the Shriver's shop, and thanks to a very generous supply of free samples, now have enough of a sugar buzz to last through Labor Day. Sleep? Pshaw! Who needs sleep when you've got 50 pounds of fudge?

Looking for a little entertainment while wandering the boardwalk, the beans stopped by something called the Bubba Mac Shack, where a Fender-playing alligator was jamming out the tunes. We asked him to play "Crocodile Rock", and as you can see, he chewed right through that classic. Next time perhaps we'll request "Love Me Tender."

Next up the beans went into check on picking up some souvenirs for the little seedlings back home, and came across this giant cage packed with hermit crabs. Someone has apparently decided though that traditionally-colored hermit crab shells are passe, because it now looks like they've all been dipped in a large vat of Easter egg dye. Still, since it is summer and the beans appreciate a good, loud, tacky print shirt as much as the next can, who are they to complain if all the crabs have gone day-glo?

Oh, while we were here the beans did learn one important trade secret: why the hermit crabs stay inside those little shells so much. We promised we wouldn't tell, but I'll give you a little hint: PlayStation III.

While walking along the boardwalk the beans also decided to stop off and try their can at a little Skee-Ball. (Truth be told: our frijoles were the National Inter-field Skee-Ball champions of 2003, beating out over 400 varieties of produce for the title. So they were somewhat of a "ringer".)

Surprisingly (not), our beans won the grand prize at Skee-Ball, but since they really don't have room inside their can for a 7-foot tall teddy bear, they politely declined their swag and gave it to a passing child, who seemed thrilled at owning a toy that was twice as big as she was. Good luck at getting that home, kiddo!

But the beans did manage to hang onto one of their prizes - a stuffed Mr. Peanut doll, who conveniently came with a beer bottle filled with nuts. The beans spent a good hour discussing business sense and world economics with Mr. Peanut, since he seems like the kind of guy who could give a humble-yet-cash-poor can of beans some serious financial advice. Yet after talking with him at length, the beans decided that the top hat, cane, and monocle were simply props, and that Mr. Peanut really didn't know all that much about macroeconomics, after all. That's what you get for taking financial advice from a guy who spends his days playing with cashews, I suppose...

But it's here that we wind up our fun day -- with the beans being awarded a blue ribbon as Tourist of the Day. Bet you didn't know such a major prize was given out? Well, neither did we. But since we spent our day doing nothing but singing the praises of Ocean City's beaches, desserts, pizzas, painted crabs, fair-and-balanced games, and generous gifts and prizes, it was the least they could do. So we proudly accept this award with all the humility and appreciation that we can muster up, and we highly recommend that you too make the trip out here to the Jersey shore for a fun time.

Our thanks again to BATW Ambassadors Laurie and Brent, and to everyone in Ocean City for showing us around. Blue ribbons for all!